What is a good, beginner cyclocross bike to buy?
I had a Trek 1000 road bike, sold it and bought a Trek 4500 WSD mountain bike. But do to a knee injury and the lack of mountain biking trails in my area, I'm riding mainly on the roads. Well I'm selling my mountain bike wanting something that isn't as much hard work to ride on the road like my MTB. I'm looking to buy a cyclocross bike. I was wondering if anyone know of a good, entry level cyclocross bike for a female who is 5'7" and 170lbs. I'm wanting to stay under $1000.00. There are alot of cyclocross brands out there that I have never heard of and just wanted some input. Also, being 5'7" should I be looking for a bike that is around the 53cm to 54cm? Thanks alot. Oh, and just because my last two bikes were Trek, my next bike doesn't have to be a Trek.
If you have Performance Bike store near you, you can check out their cyclocross bikes, brands such as Scattante (Performance name brand), GT, Schwinn, Fuji, and K2. I got the '08 Fuji CrossComp for about $700 with the sales, special discounts offered. While it may not win me cyclocross races, but it works great in my local trails, and I use it extensively for commuting.
Definitely check out the Scattante X-560, for the price I think its pretty decent.